邂逅一樹杜鵑王

楊新元

邂逅天臺(tái)華頂?shù)摹岸霹N王”，對(duì)我來說無疑是一個(gè)意外之喜。

“天臺(tái)山者，蓋山岳之神秀者也?！倍A頂峰是天臺(tái)山的主峰，海拔1098米。四周群山層層相裹，狀如百葉蓮花，華頂如正處花之頂端，故名花頂，音“華頂”。

一

我到天臺(tái)山時(shí)已過立夏，在山下還覺得驕陽逼人，一站在千米之上的華頂山巔，卻覺得一陣涼意，大有“高處不勝寒”之感。

環(huán)顧四周，“夫其峻極之狀，嘉祥之美，窮山海之瑰富，盡人神之壯麗矣?！钡娫旗F繚繞，氤氳盤結(jié)，動(dòng)若浮波，靜如凝絮，幾米遠(yuǎn)處就樹影朦朧，變幻莫測(cè)，仿佛置身于仙境之中。導(dǎo)游告訴我：“天臺(tái)山位于縣城北25公里，景區(qū)面積7.5平方公里，是我國著名的國家森林公園。”

我知道，這里山川俊秀，空氣清新宜人，負(fù)離子多多。文化積淀也十分深厚，有眾多的名人古跡可供瞻仰。華頂峰下有華頂寺，初名善興寺，據(jù)記載，是后晉天福元年（936年）由禪宗法眼宗德韶大師創(chuàng)建。寺后的歸云洞，相傳是三國吳時(shí)葛玄手植茶圃所在，至今已有1700余年。寺東北還有太白讀書堂，西南面有王右軍墨池等古跡。寺兩側(cè)的密林間，原來有72茅篷，東茅篷以藥師庵為最大。每逢佛教齋期，山上僧眾、香客如云，這些茅篷就成了他們修煉的處所。據(jù)導(dǎo)游介紹，如果早晨登臨華頂，可觀東海日出，看峰頂歸云，云蒸霞蔚，氣象萬千。

然而，天臺(tái)山華頂最令人稱奇的，還是燦若云霞的云錦杜鵑。

二

華頂寺一帶，土地肥沃，古木森森，終年云霧繚繞，十分適宜茶樹的生長。這里出產(chǎn)的華頂云霧茶，為中國名茶之一，飲譽(yù)中外。而華頂?shù)脑棋\杜鵑，更是一絕。其樹齡多在百年之上，占地?cái)?shù)百畝。每年5月間，這里繁花似海，樹姿優(yōu)美、花色嬌艷，堪稱奇觀。

云錦杜鵑屬杜鵑花科，是我國特有的珍稀樹種。它以“蒼干如松柏，花姿若牡丹”而成為《中國高等植物圖鑒》中記載的377種杜鵑中的佼佼者。云錦杜鵑雖在云南、四川等地也有分布，但成片成林、面積達(dá)300多畝，且樹齡大都在200年以上并形成古樹群的，則唯浙江天臺(tái)山之華頂所獨(dú)有。

云錦杜鵑梵語稱娑羅，所以當(dāng)?shù)厝擞址Q它為娑羅樹。清代邑人齊周華在《臺(tái)岳天臺(tái)山游記》中寫道：“山高氣寒，四時(shí)之花信常遲，惟娑羅種性最宜，故四月花開如木筆，如芍藥，香滿禪林?！?/p>

云錦杜鵑是一種常綠大灌木，一般高約四五米，樹冠渾圓平整，主干分明，旁枝逸出。葉片革質(zhì)，與枇杷葉相似，正面墨綠油亮，背面有黃色茸毛。每年立夏過后，樹頂生出傘狀的花序，待放的花苞就像荷箭?；ǘ涫㈤_時(shí)，由7至13朵小花團(tuán)簇在一起，組成一個(gè)個(gè)大若碗口、嫵媚無比的花團(tuán)。

云錦杜鵑一樹千花，故又稱“千花杜鵑”?；ㄆ诤芏?，只有7天左右?；ㄉG麗，有大紅、粉紅、白色和紫色等。每當(dāng)花盛期，幾千幾萬朵杜鵑花間雜在一起，形成一片繽紛奪目的“花海”，望之粉若芙蓉，姣若清荷，燦若云霞，聞之沁人心脾。

本來，立夏前后應(yīng)當(dāng)是華頂云錦杜鵑開得最盛的時(shí)候，可以大飽眼福?？稍鐜滋煲粓?chǎng)臺(tái)風(fēng)，吹落了滿樹的杜鵑花，華頂上已是“綠肥紅瘦”了。對(duì)我們這批觀花者來說，這不能不說是一大遺憾。

三

雖然在山下時(shí)，我已知道今年看不到云霧與花海相映成趣的美景了，但我還是想看一看成百畝連片分布的杜鵑林。

我問導(dǎo)游：“杜鵑林在什么地方？”

“從這里出發(fā)，走十來分鐘就可以看到了?！睂?dǎo)游提議說：“我們先去看一看華頂?shù)亩霹N王吧?！?/p>

于是，我們跟著她，踩著被霧氣濕潤的山間小道，拾級(jí)向上。

由于平時(shí)缺少鍛練，又不善爬山，走了不一會(huì)山道，同行者大都?xì)獯跤酢Ｕ朐诼愤呑聛硇?，?dǎo)游指著前面山坡上一棵杜鵑樹說：“喏，你們看，這就是華頂?shù)亩霹N王?！?/p>

走近一看，樹旁邊果然豎著一塊牌子，寫著“杜鵑王”三個(gè)字。

粗一看，杜鵑王似乎相貌平常：既沒有幾人合抱的粗大軀干，也沒有高聳入云的挺拔英姿。我想，如果不是生在華頂上，這種樹身六七米高、樹干碗口粗的樹，在平原鄉(xiāng)村是隨處可見的。

難道這么一棵普普通通的杜鵑樹，就是大名鼎鼎的天臺(tái)華頂“杜鵑王”？

似乎是看出了我們心中的疑慮，導(dǎo)游說：“你們數(shù)一數(shù)，杜鵑王有幾個(gè)分枝？告訴你們，云錦杜鵑一般300年才長出一個(gè)分枝?！睂?dǎo)游的話引起了大家的興趣，紛紛上前細(xì)看。

我上前一數(shù)，呀！“杜鵑王”已長出了4棵分枝，這么說來，“杜鵑王”已有1200年以上的樹齡了！

1200多年，在人類歷史的長河中是不短的一段時(shí)光，已可上溯到宋咸平年間（公元998年前后）。我不禁對(duì)“杜鵑王”刮目相看。

此刻，“杜鵑王”靜靜地站在我的面前。

你好，“杜鵑王”。你是靜謐的，但不會(huì)保持沉默。你就像一個(gè)閱遍世事的老人，在我們面前從容不迫。

一陣山風(fēng)掠過，你抖動(dòng)起豐滿的樹冠，發(fā)出輕輕的沙沙聲，似乎在向我們點(diǎn)頭致意。

千年，那么長那么長的時(shí)光，你就是為了和我們相見嗎？！

“我站在古人一定站過的那些方位上，用與先輩差不多的黑眼珠打量著很少會(huì)有變化的自然景觀，靜聽著與千百年前沒有絲毫差異的風(fēng)聲鳥聲。”作家余秋雨的話，突然涌進(jìn)我的腦海。

我細(xì)細(xì)地打量著，好似看到多年的老友：碗口粗的4個(gè)分枝，表皮斑痕累累，時(shí)光在上面打下了深深的烙印;根須盤根錯(cuò)節(jié)，深深地扎進(jìn)巖石和泥土之中。樹冠很大，古干扶疏，瀟灑地向空中伸展，樹葉墨綠油亮。

你在山頂上生長千年，一定有過寂寞，遇過艱難，有著許許多多不為人知的痛楚。但我看到的你雖然已是千年壽翁，卻充滿著青春的活力。

四

我想，在這千年的時(shí)間長廊里，曾有多少古人也像我們今天一樣，與你“親密接觸”，靜聽著四周的風(fēng)聲鳥鳴，觀賞著華頂?shù)淖匀痪坝^呢？如果“杜鵑王”能說話，一定會(huì)告訴我們?cè)S多人間故事。

面對(duì)“杜鵑王”，一種深沉的歷史感似乎籠罩過來，我的思緒穿過時(shí)空：

我仿佛看到，唐代大詩人李白在這里游覽，衣袍飄逸，對(duì)著清風(fēng)明月古樹，吟詠著：“天臺(tái)鄰四明，華頂高百越……”

我仿佛看到，王羲之在樹下行走著，他是練字后的小憩還是練字前的構(gòu)思？

那個(gè)慈眉善目的老和尚，今天又經(jīng)過這里，向頂峰最高處走去。原來是智者大師到拜經(jīng)臺(tái)去求拜《楞嚴(yán)經(jīng)》了……

“翠岫從容出，名花次第逢。最憐紅躑躅，高映碧芙蓉。無人移上苑，空置白云封?！鼻宄鯊埪?lián)元這首《杜鵑花》，感嘆別名紅躑躅的云錦杜鵑沒有被收入皇家花園。其實(shí)，這是詩人的一廂情愿。云錦杜鵑就是適宜生長在千米以上的高山上，它性喜陰寒，如果移到上苑去，即使能成活，也一定不如在高山之巔活得從容。

據(jù)《天臺(tái)山全志》記載：唐貞元（785～805年）年間，江蘇鎮(zhèn)江鶴林寺的方丈因喜歡云錦杜鵑，由寺僧用藥養(yǎng)護(hù)在缽體內(nèi)，這是人類有記載的首次引種云錦杜鵑。到了20世紀(jì)，由于人們摸透了它的習(xí)性，也有少數(shù)人移栽成功。只是山下缺少云霧、山色，觀賞起來未免遜色不少。

“你們看，杜鵑王還有花苞呢！”忽然，我旁邊的劉君叫了起來。我順著他的手勢(shì)向茂密的樹葉中看去，果然看到枝頭上有一個(gè)個(gè)的花苞，如桃子般大小。導(dǎo)游說：“云錦杜鵑每年7月孕蕾，到第二年5月開花，就像人一樣‘十月懷胎?！?/p>

在漫長的一千多年時(shí)間里，“杜鵑王”在華頂默默地生長著，聽著風(fēng)聲、鳥聲、蟲聲，看著山色、水色、云霞色，默默地花開花謝，綻放著一年又一年的美麗。我想，這是何等的寧靜與淡泊。而這種無爭與寧靜的定力和境界，真是治療現(xiàn)代人焦慮、憂郁、苦惱的一劑良藥。

華頂云錦杜鵑林主要分三大區(qū)塊，各有特色：歸云洞前千樹簇?fù)恚êＲ黄?東茅篷藥師庵旁則獨(dú)自佇立，或如姐妹相處;拜經(jīng)臺(tái)附近卻三五成群，叢叢簇簇，姿態(tài)萬千。可惜我們今天看不到。然而，邂逅了“杜鵑王”，我們也就不虛此行了。

Seeing the “queen azalea” at the mountaintop of Mt. Tiantai， famed as “the finest of mountains”， was a pleasant surprise for me. The mountaintop， known as Huading Peak， rises 1，098 meters above the sea level， wrapped by layers of rolling mountains. Viewed from afar， the peak looks like a blooming lotus flower hence its name.

The early summer heat I felt at the foot of the mountain gave way and the chill set in. The thick legion of spectral white clouds streamed by， revealing and hiding the shape of trees like playing a game with the viewer. Standing at the mist-engulfed mountaintop， I couldnt help but feel overawed by the fairyland. About 25 kilometers north of the bustle of the town of Tiantai， the 7.5-square-kilometer resort is one of Chinas most famous national forest parks. The natural beauty of the resort needs no elaboration. The resort also draws admirers for its rich history and culture， highlighted by the Huading Temple， first built in 936 AD and the Guiyun Cave， legendarily the secret tea garden of Ge Xuan （164-244）. Every year， the temple together with its many cultural spots draws pilgrims filing into this holy wonderland to heal souls. However， the crown jewel of the cultural glory of Mt. Tiantai is the azalea spectacle.

The surroundings of the Huading Temple are a fertile oasis enveloped by mists throughout the year， ideal for the growth of tea trees. The Mist Tea grown and processed here ranks among Chinas finest teas. The natural conditions here also produced a floral wonder that is second to none in the country. Every year in May， the azalea shrubs of 200-year-old “yunjin” （Rhododendron fortunei）， a rare species of the azalea family， present a phantasmagoric spectacle that has enjoyed a reputation from ancient times. The week-long floral carnival can be enjoyed in three zones in the resort area， depending on ones aesthetic goals.

This unique species is called “suoluo” in Sanskrit. “High up in the mountain， the flowering time is normally delayed， the fierce suoluo blossoms in April being an exception，” wrote the Qing traveler Qi Zhouhua （1698-1768） in his travelogue devoted to Mt. Tiantai.

Falling into the ericaceae category， “yunjin” is a rare bifurcation unique to China in the azalea family of 377 breeds of plants， and is considered one of the finest. It has also been found in the depths of mountains in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in the southwest. Predominantly shrubs rising 4-5 meters high， “yunjin” has distinct leaves similar to those of loquats. The inflorescences emerge usually shortly after the beginning of summer. The blossoming phase only lasts about seven days， with colors varying from scarlet red to pink， purple and whitish and creating a surreal scene of dazzling hues.

One also has to count on his luck to relish the heavenly beauty when the entire mountaintop is ablaze with azalea in full bloom. When we were there， the riot of colors had been wiped out by a typhoon.

I knew I had missed this years azalea feast， but I was keen on seeing the forest with my own eyes. “It will be about 10 minutes walking from here， but how about taking a look at the queen azalea before that？” The tour guide advised. The climbing along the mountain footpath was not easy for us. The queen azalea the guide pointed out for us to see made the toilsome climbing worthwhile. “It normally takes a Yunjin tree 300 years to produce a branch，” the guide told us. The tree in front of us has four branches. Its lush crown rustled in a gust sweeping past， making me wonder how the world has changed in the past 1200 years and who was standing here and taking in the majestic scene just like me a thousand years ago.

On the weather-beaten bark is the trace of time. I felt an eerie kind of solitude wash over me. The tree must have also fascinated the Tang poet Li Bai and the Jin calligrapher Wang Xizhi. In the eye of Zhang Lianyuan， a poet of the early Qing （1644-1911）， it is a shame that the beauty of the flowers could not be shared at the royal garden. There have been others who tried introducing the fine variety to a wider audience by taking it down the mountain.

The buds on the tree were big enough to be seen. “Just like human pregnancy， it takes the buds about nine months to turn into flowers，” the guide shared.

I was mesmerized by the scene. The queen azalea has become accustomed to the tranquility and nothingness in Mt. Tiantai in more than a thousand years. It is an antidote city dwellers crave for to survive urban worries and sufferings.